Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business

In his latest engrossing work of business fiction, best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings. And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.

I wouldn't say that this book is QUITE as good as Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of the Team and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, but it's still a great book. The advice about the four types of meetings is actionable and relevant and, as usual, the narrative format is much appreciated.

Church of Lies

"My name is Flora Jessop. I've been called apostate, vigilante, and crazy bitch, and maybe I am. But some people call me a hero, and I'd like to think they're right too. If I am a hero, maybe it's because every time I can play a part in saving a child or a woman from a life of servitude and degradation, I'm saving a little piece of me, too. was one of twenty-eight children born to my dad and his three wives."

This story is extremely graphic and is hard to listen to if you're squeamish.

The hardest thing to take though, is that I'm skeptical that a lot of the stories are true. The author has clearly been damaged and traumatized by her experiences...but there are a lot of sections that are very difficult to believe and at very least are biased.

One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com

Amazon’s business model is deceptively simple: make online shopping so easy and convenient that customers won’t think twice. It can almost be summed up by the button on every page: Buy now with one click. Why has Amazon been so successful? Much of it has to do with Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder, whose business strategy and unique combination of character traits have driven Amazon to the top of the online retail world. Originally a computer nerd rather than a businessman, he had the vision to capitalize on the untapped online marketplace for bookselling....

If your really into Amazon, check this book out. It has lost of information. However, if you aren't...it's kind of boring. The book didn't have enough interesting anecdotes to really hold my attention. It probably doesn't help that I'd just read "Steve Jobs" (which I can't shut up about). This story is pretty vanilla...which is a shame because I'm sure there's all sorts of tantalizing stories to be told about such a wildly successful company.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years - a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung and the unchallenged rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Taking us into a landscape never before seen, Demick brings to life what it means to be an average Korean citizen, living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today.

The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family

Dan Savage’s mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says “no thanks” because he doesn’t want to act like a straight person. Their six-year-old son, D.J., says his two dads aren’t “allowed” to get married but that he’d like to come to the reception and eat cake. Throw into the mix Dan’s straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone—gay or straight, right or left, single or married—howling with laughter.

I like Dan Savage, so I enjoyed the book and found it entertaining. I could see that some might find it a bit preachy. My main gripe is that Dan didn't read the book himself. The narrator did a fine job, but didn't sound anything like Dan which was just strange to listen to.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography

A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

I can't stop telling people about this book. I got it because I think Rob Lowe is hilarious on Parks and Rec. It far exceeded my expectations. It's full of riveting stories from hollywood in the 70s and 80s. This guys life has been touched by so many stars it will boggle your mind. Lowe is a great story teller and, as anticipated, reads the book beautifully.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

The content of this memoir - stories from Mindy's past as well as her general musings on life - is light, but often laugh out loud funny. If you like Mindy Kaling's style of comedy you'll have a good laugh. I was already a fan, but like her even more from listening to the book. As expected, she performed the book really well.

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Building upon this critical work in Good Calories, Bad Calories and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Taubes now revisits the urgent question of what’s making us fat—and how we can change—in this exciting new book. Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, Why We Get Fat makes Taubes’s crucial argument newly accessible to a wider audience.

I don't say that a book is life changing easily. I minored in nutrition in university and thought I was pretty knowledgeable. I will be the first to admit that this book pretty much teaches you the exact opposite of what you learn in university nutrition classes (or at least what I learned). As a generally skeptical person, I appreciated the science based explanations and the attention given to the conflicting research that exists. I thought that the arguments it made regarding insulin metabolism made a lot of sense and some of the descriptions seemed to really match my physiology (excessive appetite, fat around the waist, sugar crashes). I figured that since the experts don't agree, I might as well try it out.

I was AMAZED at the results. I quickly started dropping weight and feeling better when I cut out grains, increase fat intake, and cut down carbs in general. I dropped 15 lbs within 3 months and have been at my ideal weight ever since with very little effort. In total it's been about 10 months.

The only thing that I don't like about this book is that it is so sure that low carb is the right way to eat for everyone. I have a hard time believing that, based on what I've observed in real life. However, what the book pushes is right for ME and I have completely changed my diet based on the information provided. I could not be more happy with the results and wish I'd been open to trying this years ago.

Even if this doesn't end up being right for you, if you struggle with extra body fat, I suggest that you read the book and learn about the approach. You can always try it out and if if doesn't agree with your body, try something else.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

From Daniel H. Pink, the author of the groundbreaking best seller A Whole New Mind, comes his next big idea book: a paradigm-changing examination of what truly motivates us and how to harness that knowledge to find greater satisfaction in our lives and our work.

If you have watched Daniel Pink's Quick Draw youtube video on this book, you have pretty much seen all of the content of this book. As a professional in the HR field I found the content too basic and repetitive. I did not finish the book (so take my review in that light). Maybe I'll try to finish it some other time, but I didn't find it to be a good use of my time and I was constantly zoning out while listening.

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health

Since the introduction of dietary guidelines calling for reduced fat intake in the 1970s, a strange phenomenon has occurred: Americans have steadily, inexorably become heavier, less healthy, and more prone to diabetes than ever before. After putting more than two thousand of his at-risk patients on a wheat-free regimen and seeing extraordinary results, cardiologist William Davis has come to the disturbing conclusion that it is not fat, not sugar, not our sedentary lifestyle that is causing America’s obesity epidemic—it is wheat.

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

Still in his early 30s, Chris is on the verge of completing a tour of every country on earth – he’s already visited more than 175 nations - and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back. In The $100 Startup, he tells you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning and purpose - and earn a good living.

Did you like some of the ideas in the 4 hour work week but feel frustrated by the lack of focus on providing real value or doing something you care about? The $100 Startup will scratch that itch. It's full of practical advice from a variety of different small entrepreneurs with a strong focus on doing something that matters and less of the schmarmy "get rich quick" promises of other books.

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